Colouring Clay

Service Description

This one-day workshop will explore the most effective ways of colouring clay and slip. Sometimes glaze and surface decoration are unable to deliver the finish we desire and there is a need to add colour or stain into the clay before making. Using commercial stains, porcelain, and white stoneware clay you will learn practical techniques for colouring clay and how to execute a series of small colour tests to determine ratios of stain to clay. It will cover health and safety, planning, recording and colouring slips and the most effective ways to achieve uniform colour and integration between stain and liquid clay. This would be very useful to anyone wanting to make their own bespoke colours of decorative slips and casting slip. Everyone will create a series of colour palette tests that will be fired after the workshop and available to collect the following week. These will provide a strong foundation and reference point from which you can confidently begin to expand your experimentation with colour. It is suitable for all ability levels, from beginner to more experienced makers who want to gain confidence and strategies for colouring their own clay. Helen Noble is a ceramic artist and part-time lecturer in Ceramics at Belfast Metropolitan College. Having completed her MA in Ceramics and Glass at the Royal College of Art, London in 2011, she has a particular interest in and experience of working with glaze and colour.